TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING · ITS · TSMO · SAFETY

Engineering impact at the intersection of mobility, technology and safety.

Sathish Rao is an Author, Researcher, and Senior Engineering Consultant specializing in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO). Serving as an industry Committee Chair, he plays a critical role leading advancements in real-time traffic management, advanced signal operations, public safety initiatives, and data-driven traffic safety engineering. His pioneering work sits at the intersection of public service, safety, and innovation.

MSMBAPMPIMSA III
1,100+Signals within operational scope
12+Years of professional experience
100+Safety locations studied

01 — BIOGRAPHY

A transportation professional focused on measurable public impact.

Industry Impact

Across state, county, and municipal transportation environments, my career spans more than a decade at the intersection of engineering, technology, and operations. By translating complex transportation data into scalable, practical improvements, I support state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and local government agencies in managing large-scale infrastructure networks across the United States. Serving in embedded roles and as a strategic advisor, I collaborate with distinguished public-sector clients, regional traffic management centers, and municipal authorities to deliver operational, safety, and strategic consulting services. My efforts directly advance critical national transportation priorities, including the United States Department of Transportation’s (U.S. DOT) National Roadway Safety Strategy and the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Vision Zero safety objectives.

Scholarly Contributions & Federal Recognition

Research work contributions leading to evidence-based safety practices, informing roadway design and policy considerations nationwide:

  • The National Academies: Research published in the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
  • Federal Highway Administration: Research published through FHWA and the U.S. Department of Transportation networks, as part of the official federal research literature.
  • Federal Research Record: Additionally, research cataloged in the Library of Congress, the U.S. National Library, as part of the permanent federal research record.

Strategic Advisory & Public Service

Beyond research, I have worked on hundreds of specialized engineering reports that document traffic analyses, operational enhancements, and data-driven crash-reduction strategies. Presented directly to government officials and DOT stakeholders, these actionable recommendations have significantly improved roadway efficiency, addressed vital citizen safety concerns, and enhanced public safety outcomes across multiple jurisdictions.

Through continued leadership in professional organizations, the publication of high-impact research, and the deployment of advanced traffic solutions, I am committed to modernizing critical infrastructure, accelerating incident response, and strengthening the resilience of the United States transportation network to protect the lives of the traveling public nationwide.

02 — LEADERSHIP

Leadership is demonstrated through responsibility, influence and contribution.

CRITICAL OPERATIONS

Large-scale traffic operations

Embedded traffic-operations work supporting a network of approximately 1,100 signals, including real-time incident response, signal timing adjustments, corridor management and operational troubleshooting.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

ITS & signal systems

Advanced traffic-management and signal-operations work across government transportation environments, combining engineering analysis with real-time system performance.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Judging & committee leadership

Expert judging for the ITE scholarship award and leadership through the ITE South Florida Section Talent Recognition Committee, alongside ITS America committee and working-group service.

INDUSTRY SPEAKING

Featured technical speaker

Invited as a featured expert speaker at an ITE South Florida Section collaborative event at Florida Atlantic University in April 2026 on real-time traffic operations using advanced traffic-management systems.

03 — PROFESSIONAL STANDING

Five dimensions of professional contribution.

01

Professional Affiliations

ITE South Florida Section, ITS America, IMSA and PMI — with committee, working-group and professional service responsibilities.

View memberships →
02

Judging & Advisory Roles

Expert judge for the ITE Scholarship Award and Talent Recognition Committee Chair for the ITE South Florida Section.

View service →
03

Research & Innovations

Transportation safety research on RCUT intersections, including empirical crash evaluation and Crash Modification Factor development.

View research →
04

Selected Publications

Scholarly transportation research distributed through federal, TRB and other research channels, with an active Google Scholar and ResearchGate presence.

Research archive →
05

Leadership & Impact

Embedded and senior transportation operations roles supporting public agencies, large signal networks, safety programs and complex engineering delivery.

View impact →

03 — IMPACT ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS

A career measured by contribution, not job titles.

GEORGIA DOT

Real-time signal performance

Senior traffic engineering and deputy project management responsibilities supporting TSMO and ITS functions, signal timing optimization, ATSPM performance and agency operations.

TSMOITSSignal Operations
PALM BEACH COUNTY / FDOT

Regional traffic management

Embedded traffic operations supporting real-time management, signal timing, CCTV-based incident response, diversion strategies and large-scale signal coordination.

$7.4M estimated Palm Beach County NPV savings.

RTMCATMSIncident Management
FDOT DISTRICTS

Safety engineering at scale

Transportation safety, signal retiming, operational analysis, field reviews, crash-pattern evaluation, corridor studies and engineering recommendations delivered across FDOT Districts 2, 4 and 6.

District 2District 4District 6
RESEARCH

RCUT safety evaluation

Research evaluating Restricted Crossing U-Turn intersections and developing a Crash Modification Factor, connecting empirical crash analysis to broader transportation-safety practice.

ResearchRCUTCMF
MONROE COUNTY

US-1 mobility performance

Travel-time, delay, level-of-service and reserve-capacity analysis supporting mobility evaluation and operational understanding along US-1.

Travel TimeLOSMobility
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH

Urban traffic operations

Traffic impact, operational and capacity analysis for key urban intersections using field reviews, Synchro/SimTraffic and engineering evaluation.

Urban MobilitySynchroOperations
MACOMB COUNTY

Countywide signal operations

Signal-network operations, troubleshooting, timing improvements, public-response coordination, field-device support and real-time operational oversight.

SignalsOperationsCoordination
MULTI-AGENCY PROGRAMS

Mobility & intersection performance

Traffic analysis, corridor evaluation, signal timing, travel-time studies and operational improvements supporting state, county and municipal transportation agencies.

MobilityTraffic AnalysisCorridors
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Engineering delivery

Project coordination, engineering reports, stakeholder communication, benefit/cost analysis, NPV evaluation, quality control and multidisciplinary transportation delivery.

PMPDeliveryStakeholders

04 — CAREER JOURNEY

A progression of transportation leadership, research and delivery.

2025 — Present

AECOM · GDOT Signal Operations

Senior Traffic Engineering Consultant / Deputy Project Manager supporting TSMO, ITS, signal performance, ATSPM response and regional traffic operations.

2022 — 2024

AECOM · Palm Beach County / FDOT

Real-time traffic operations, signal timing, incident management, corridor retiming, performance analysis and operational improvements across a network of approximately 1,100 signals.

2020 — 2021

AECOM · FDOT District 4

Traffic-safety and operational improvement programs involving crash analysis, signal retiming, engineering recommendations, benefit/cost evaluation and agency review.

2019 — 2020

AECOM · FDOT District 2

Roadway, pedestrian and bicycle safety initiatives, fatal-crash reviews, operational studies, concept development and project prioritization across a broad program of locations.

2015 — 2019

AECOM · FDOT / Municipal / County Programs

Signal retiming, traffic safety, transit signal priority, operational analysis, corridor studies and multidisciplinary transportation consulting across public-agency programs.

2015

AECOM · Macomb County

Countywide traffic-signal operations, troubleshooting, timing improvements, field-device coordination, agency communications and operational research.

2015

City of Detroit Public Lighting Authority

Capital-program delivery, GIS mapping, operational planning and implementation support associated with large-scale public infrastructure modernization.

2014 — 2015

Research in Transportation Safety

RCUT and innovative-intersection safety research involving multi-state DOT coordination, statistical crash evaluation and development of evidence supporting federally sponsored transportation research.

2013

Amazon.com

Business analysis, competitive intelligence, pricing strategy and performance metrics supporting data-driven operational and management decisions.

2012

AE Group – Infrastructure & Real Estate

Infrastructure and real-estate project delivery through engineering coordination, planning, cost analysis, documentation, client-facing execution and project reporting.

05 — RESEARCH & AUTHORSHIP

Research that connects evidence with transportation safety.

FEATURED RESEARCH

Safety Evaluation of Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT) Intersections

Research focused on before-and-after crash evaluation and development of a Crash Modification Factor. The supplied research record reports approximately 0.85 for total crashes and 0.78 for injury crashes.

PUBLICATION

Signalized RCUT safety evaluation

Research record and federal transportation-library references supporting the safety evaluation and CMF work.

RESEARCH PROFILE

ResearchGate

Central profile for publications, research records and scholarly collaboration.

ResearchGate ↗
SCHOLARLY RECORD

Google Scholar

Central scholarly profile for citation and publication discovery.

Google Scholar ↗
Research archive — selected subsequent studies and references 14 links

06 — RECOGNITION & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Recognition for performance, expertise and professional contribution.

APR 2026 · ITE

Keynote Speaker for Industry Impact

Invited as a featured expert speaker at a collaborative ITE event at Florida Atlantic University, presenting on “Real-Time Traffic Operations Using Advanced Traffic Management Systems.”

MAR 2026 · ITE

Expert Judge for ITE Scholarship Award

Invited to serve as an expert judge for the ITE scholarship award, evaluating candidates within the transportation-engineering profession.

OCT 2025 · AECOM

Merit for Distinguished Performance and Contributions

2024 · STAX

Emerging Technologies / Intelligent Transportation Systems

JAN 2023 · AECOM

Project Management Professional Award

OCT 2022 · AECOM

Deliver to Win Project Excellence Award

DEC 2021 · AECOM

Outstanding Performance Award

2020 · UAGC

Leadership Development Grant

Dual-vetted institutional and corporate grant awarded for business and leadership development.

DEC 2014 · FHWA

Research Project Grant

Federal Highway Administration research grant associated with transportation-safety research.

07 — PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Professional Leadership & Organizational Involvement

ITE

Institute of Transportation Engineers

Talent Recognition Committee Chair · Panel Judge

Selection based on merits, significant contributions to the field, record of extraordinary achievements, approved by ITE Section Leadership Board.

ITS AMERICA

Intelligent Transportation Society of America

Standing Committees & Working Groups

Selection based on significant contributions to the field, subject-matter expertise, ability to add value to policy development, and industry guidance.

IMSA

International Municipal Signal Association

Senior-Level · IMSA III

Selection based on active engagement in public safety operations, senior-level III recognized as an advanced designation of professional competence in public infrastructure and transportation safety.

PMI

Project Management Institute

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Globally recognized project management credential, supporting multidisciplinary transportation program delivery.

09 — CREDENTIALS

MSWayne State University
MBAUniversity of Arizona
PMPProject Management Professional
IMSA IIITraffic Signal / Public Safety

ENGINEERING PHILOSOPHY

“The strongest transportation solutions are the ones that turn engineering evidence into measurable improvements for the traveling public.”

10 — CONTACT

Let's connect.

For professional inquiries, transportation engineering collaboration, research, speaking opportunities or project discussions.